[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 14 (Monday, April 12, 1993)]
[Pages 531-532]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Radio Address on the Economy and the Russia-United States Summit

 April 3, 1993

    Good morning. There's much wisdom in these words from the 
Scriptures, ``Come, let us reason together.'' This week we've seen a 
good example of what happens when people talk to each other instead of 
shout at each other. And unfortunately, we've also seen what happens 
when some people go to unreasonable lengths to prevent reasonable 
discussion and decisionmaking.
    I'm speaking to you from the Pacific Northwest where we've just 
concluded the Forest Conference. For years, the good people of the 
Northwest have been divided by a difficult argument over important 
values: how best to preserve jobs and protect the forests in this 
beautiful and productive region of our great Nation.
    Yesterday, in Portland, Oregon, timber workers, business people, 
environmentalists, and community leaders sat down together in a 
conference room, not a courtroom. We discussed how to achieve a healthy 
economy and a healthy environment. And I directed my Cabinet to come 
back within 60 days with a plan for a balanced policy.
    Grassroots Americans want to end the gridlock and get the economy 
moving. They want to follow the same practice that we followed in Oregon 
yesterday. Unfortunately, some people in Washington, DC, haven't gotten 
the message that the people want fundamental change. Yesterday the 
minority party in the Senate used procedural tactics to prevent the 
entire Senate from voting on our jobs and economic recovery package, 
which has already been passed overwhelmingly by the House of 
Representatives.
    Yesterday we also learned why our jobs package is even more urgent 
than ever. After 3 years, when America lost one million jobs in the 
private sector, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in March, and 
the total number of jobs in our economy actually declined. Now, some 
folks in Washington may think everything is fine, but all across America 
the people understand there won't be a real recovery until our working 
men and women can look forward to a secure, high-wage future for 
themselves and their children. The people know that America needs our 
plan to put 500,000 Americans back to work by beginning the investments 
we need in a stronger, smarter economy.
    It's time to move beyond the old politics of partisanship, 
posturing, and procedural delays and start working together to solve 
problems. Good things can be accomplished when we reason together. And 
just as this works in our own country, so too can it work between 
ourselves and other nations.
    That's why I'm taking my first trip out of the country today to meet 
with Russia's democratically elected President, Boris Yeltsin. Nowhere 
is progress toward democracy and free markets more important to us than 
in Russia and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union. 
Their progress presents a great security challenge and offers great 
economic opportunities. Russia's rebirth is in the economic interests of 
American taxpayers, workers, and businesses and the security interests 
of all of us.
    We spent over $4 trillion to wage the cold war. Now we can reduce 
that spending because the arms and armies of the former Soviet Union 
pose a greatly reduced threat to us and to our allies. If Russia were to 
revert to its old ways or plunge into chaos, we would need to reassess 
our plans for defense savings. That could mean less money for creating 
new businesses and new jobs, less for pre- 

[[Page 532]]

paring our children for the future, less for education. Our economic 
program at home, more jobs and greater incomes for Americans, could be 
jeopardized if the reforms in Russia fail.
    My discussions with President Yeltsin involve measures intended to 
help the Russian people make the difficult transition to a market 
economy by helping themselves. I want America to act, but America cannot 
and should not act alone. Just as we mobilized the world on behalf of 
war in the Gulf, we must now mobilize the world on behalf of peace and 
reform in Russia. Most of this effort will have to come from the Russian 
people themselves. They will chart the path to their own future. These 
efforts to offer an historic chance to improve our own security, 
however, require some action by ourselves, too.
    Russia still holds over 20,000 strategic and tactical nuclear 
warheads. We are implementing historic arms control agreements that for 
the first time will actually reduce the level of strategic nuclear 
weapons. By supporting Russia's reforms we can help turn the promise of 
those agreements into reality for ourselves and for our children and for 
the Russian people and their children as well. And we can make life in 
America more safe and prosperous.
    For too long, work in Washington on issues like economics, the 
environment, and foreign policy took place in isolation. The interests 
of the American people weren't amply protected because their voices 
weren't adequately heard. The change we want is this: to bring men and 
women of good will together so that we can put people, the American 
people, first. We need you to stay active and informed and involved.
    Now, I ask you to call or write your Senators. Ask them to take 
action on our jobs and economic recovery package. I ask for your best 
wishes as I go into this meeting with President Yeltsin and your 
understanding that here there is no clear line between our interests at 
home and our interests abroad. We cannot withdraw from the world even as 
we work to make America stronger. Together we can change America and 
change the world.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 8:00 p.m. on April 2 at the Benson 
Hotel in Portland, OR, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 3.